- I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check Please!

Arizona," The show where Arizona residents recommend their favorite restaurants.

Coming up, we have guests who are passionate about their picks.

They've dined at all three and are ready to share their reviews with each other and with you, right here on "Check please!

Arizona."

right here on "Check please!

Arizona."

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(upbeat music) - I'm Chef Mark Tarbell.

Welcome to "Check Please!

Arizona."

In this episode, we're checking out a French bistro, an elevated neighborhood joint, and Italian fare.

Let's meet our diners.

Sue Sicily is a physician and psychiatrist who grew up in the valley.

In her spare time, she loves to act and dance with the local theater community.

She also trains service dogs.

Donaldo Lopez is a firefighter.

He's a girl dad to three daughters and loves cooking for them.

His hobby is collecting whiskey.

He has more than 200 bottles from 13 different countries.

But up first is Annice Laws.

She's a graphic designer and editor.

She volunteers with local animal shelters and loves to ride horses.

Her pick is a modern day casual French restaurant.

This is The Mick Brasserie.

(mellow music) - We are a French bistro.

Really kind of revolves around me, all my travels around the world that I've done for almost 15 years, working in yachts, jets, villas, kind of billionaires, dictators, oligarchs, heads of state.

The influence on the food is really from those travels and those kind of influences you get from like Southeast Asia and North Africa, obviously European, really where France stepped.

You know, that's kinda where our food lands.

Our dishes are definitely designed to be shareable, while our menu is very eclectic.

Things like our braised copper state beef cheek, local product, long slow braise.

Like we also do our own house-made focaccia.

That's a 36 hour fermentation.

It's as legit a focaccia like you're gonna have over in Italy.

An interpretation of like New Orleans barbecued shrimp.

That's where we kinda wanna be able to live is things you're not gonna find anywhere else.

It's not a great aziz menu.

These are things that are unique just to us.

So we are an award-winning wine program.

We won a Wine Spectator Award last year, so super proud of that.

My sommelier, Jeff Menzer, he's been brilliant.

I've got three sommeliers on staff.

They're gonna come by and help you through all of that 'cause it's hard.

We'll find you a great bottle of wine.

It's a lively atmosphere.

You know, we want it to feel very, very comfortable.

We want it to be approachable.

I named the restaurant after the neighborhood.

We are in McCormick Ranch, you know, so I thought that was something that'd just be one, easy to remember.

Two, my last name is Menke, My partner is John Krause, so the M and the K, kind of a Mick.

To be able to come back here to Arizona and open up something that's truly my own, it felt like coming home.

Went to Chaparral.

This parking lot was our internet before the internet.

So this is where everybody came and gathered to figure out, "Okay, what's going on?

Where are we gonna go?

Who's having a party?"

Just a place where people could gather and that's what I wanted for The Mick Brasserie is a place for community, for people to gather.

- So Annice, how did you find this place and what is your favorite thing there?

- I actually was introduced to it by a group of friends who have been going there for a while.

They're wine lovers, so that's what we like about it the most.

I always look for something different to eat when I go there because they have a lot of innovation in their menu often.

But we always, almost always go for the whipped ricotta as our appetizer because it is so creamy and delicious, and they do a different twist on it.

- What do you recommend or what's your go-to?

- Well, I love the Wagyu beef cheek.

It's braised and it's like butter.

And it's served on a homemade pasta that's almost more like a gnocchi.

It's like a very dense pasta that's soaks in the beef juices.

And they have whipped ricotta and horseradish topping on it with pistachios.

It adds this really great zing to it when you eat it.

So that's one of my favorite things.

But I do have to say that the wine is probably my favorite part of the restaurant because they do an amazing job with keeping a fabulous wine list and they give really good recommendations, too.

- So Sue?

- [Sue] Yeah?

- What did you have when you were there?

- Well, we ended up with 10 different entrees that we ordered and then when I found out that it was tapas style, I was like, "Oh great.

I'm probably gonna have to go out and eat afterward."

And it turned out to be, we were very satisfied.

The dishes were so diverse.

We had this miso sable fish that was extraordinary.

It had these, I think they're called ma-ta-ki mushrooms-- - [Mark] Maitake.

- Yeah.

And I grow mushrooms in our labs.

- [Mark] You do?

- So I'm really fascinated by how they utilize these gourmet mushrooms to enhance the dish.

I got my first taste of escargot and it turned out to be delicious.

- Was that your first time with escargot?

- [Sue] Yep.

- First bite.

- Yes.

- What'd you think?

- [Sue] Just luscious.

So tender.

It was incredible the way the brie under it really brought out the flavors.

And I love the, there was a brioche bun under it that was so yummy.

So it turned out to be terrific.

- Donaldo, what did you have?

- Well, I gotta tell you that whipped ricotta changed my life.

I gotta stop telling people that I don't like mushrooms because I'm learning, after going out to all these restaurants, like they are such an amazing food.

And when they are cooked and prepared properly, they are one of the best things I've ever had.

And this ricotta, whipped ricotta had a little bit of lemon zest in it, 'cause it just had this little hit of brightness when you took a bite and it comes with these perfectly toasted pieces of Noble Bread that you dip in there.

It's drizzled with honey, those mushrooms are on top.

It was something that I coulda eaten probably an entire gallon of in that sitting.

- What did you have for an entree?

- So I opted for the charred octopus and this did not disappoint.

It was just the flavor of the octopus.

I mean that standalone I could eat, you know, an entire tentacle of that because it has just the right amount of give when you bite into it.

But with that, before it bounces back, which is a problem with overcooked octopus.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- Instead of being too chewy, it just gives and-- - [Mark] Donaldo, you are a chef.

(all laughing) - You are definitely a chef, more than just... Your daughters are very lucky.

(all laughing) Annice, what did you have for an entree?

- We started out with the crab cake that was in a lobster bisque, and it was a nice big thick crab cake with a nice breading on the outside, but a lot of crab meat on the inside.

Not very bready like some can be.

- [Mark] Yes.

- [Annice] And the lobster bisque was luscious and velvety, and I think it was drizzled with a tarragon oil because it had, I think I was picking up a little bit of a tarragon taste - [Mark] Cool.

- to it as well.

And that was delicious.

I also got, we ordered the crisp salad, which was heavy on arugula, but it has baby snap peas in it that are split - [Mark] Ooh!

- [Annice] down the middle.

- [Mark] That's cool.

- [Annice] And peanuts, and ginger, and it was a nice fresh counterpoint - [Mark] Wow.

- to the very rich beef cheek and lobster - [Mark] Yeah.

- bisque in the crab cake.

- Did you have any dessert?

- Oh absolutely.

- Oh.

- Yeah.

I like the, "Oh."

(all laughing) - Yeah, I got their black forest chocolate mousse, which is, to me is one of the most scrumptious.

I'm not big on dessert in general, like a sweet dessert after a rich meal.

I think it kind of ruins it.

But I can't pass up on this dessert because it's a Valrhona chocolate.

It's very intense chocolate, and the mousse is super creamy.

And it's got Amarena cherries in it.

- [Mark] Ooh!

- And when you bite into the chocolate with the Amarena cherry, you get that burst of almost like a cherry liqueur taste in your mouth.

It has chocolate cookie crumbles and then Chantilly cream on it to kind of smooth it out and give it some texture as well.

I think it's heavenly.

- [Mark] Wow.

- I will allow people to have a taste of it, but I normally just keep it all to myself.

- That's very kind of you.

I thought you were a kind person.

(all laughing) Sue, did you have dessert?

- [Sue] Yes, I had that, oh, that yummy, sticky toffee bread pudding.

- [Annice] That's good, too.

- [Sue] I say, I have a fetish for bread pudding.

I've tried it in every restaurant and this was phenomenal.

And I would definitely return just for that.

- Love bread pudding as well.

And they had a spiced pear bread pudding on special.

Just the warmth and the spices that they chose to use with that pear.

And the pear was cooked, again, the texture, right.

It was just not squishy, it had some resistance and then you have the creaminess of the bread and whatever sauce they put on it.

- That's awesome.

So this is a part where I like to do pro tips or takeaways.

And since this is your restaurant Annice, what is your pro tip or takeaway?

- My pro tip would be definitely look to the staff for recommendations, for wine recommendations and pairing.

They're very knowledgeable.

That's what they're all about.

They do craft beers as well.

So if you're into beer you could get some tips there.

But I think that they're very... It's a standout restaurant for wine.

- Sue, what would you say?

- The biggest surprise was how they were able to accommodate one of our guests who had so many different dietary restrictions.

And suddenly they would come out with all these clever ways of keeping things separate but still not harming the quality of the meals.

- Donaldo, what's your takeaway?

- You have to get the whipped ricotta.

- Whipped ricotta.

Boom.

(Sue laughing) If you wanna visit The Mick Brasserie, it's in Scottsdale on Hayden and Mountain View Road.

An average meal costs $45 and they do take reservations.

(happy upbeat music) Up next is Sue's recommendation, a restaurant where seafood and meat take center stage in a welcoming atmosphere.

This is Neighborly Public House.

(upbeat strumming music) - The Neighborly Public House is that restaurant that I want everyone in other neighborhoods saying, "Geez, I wish I had a Neighborly Public House in my neighborhood.

I want you to think you are walking into your best friend's home.

Right, like you're excited to be out of your home.

It's exciting to kinda get out and be out and like... But it's that warm, comfortable environment when you come in here.

Our menu is traditional American food, but done with some cool twists.

I don't know if anyone else in town is doing chowder fries, and they're so popular.

I went to school in Boston.

We may have been out partying a little bit that night, and we came across this dive bar, and they had chowder fries, right?

And it's this huge heaping pile of fries with New England clam chowder all over it with bacon bits and chives.

And I remembered that dish from 20 years ago.

There are a lotta pies that we can put on our menus and coconut cream pie is just one of them.

I tell people, and it is true, there is a cult following for this cream pie.

It is basic.

There's only four ingredients in it, not including the graham cracker crust.

But it's a little bit more of like a custard-style filling.

I'm one of six children and when we were growing up in the house, my dad owned restaurants and he worked a lot.

And I think that one of the reasons that I got into this business was I saw how successful and happy my father was and I wanted that for myself.

But also like I wanted to make him proud that I kinda followed in his footsteps.

The best compliment I can get is when I watch people eat and you don't even know I'm watching you, and you smile.

When you do the (chef imitates soft exclamation of enjoyment), right, like that's my compliment.

I saw it, like I felt it.

- So Sue, how did you find it and what is your favorite?

- My friends had adopted this place as their, you know, their neighborhood tavern basically where they like to go hang out.

It has a really chill vibe and awesome food.

And so I started going with them and realized that they were right, that it's just a really inviting place where all different ages are there.

- Oh yeah, well what was your favorite dish?

Or what is your favorite dish?

- I would say, I think I was most blown away probably by the barbecue salmon with the jicama salad.

That was really fresh.

I really enjoyed the chicken, the rotisserie chicken.

- Did it come out really moist?

- Oh yeah.

And I think my most favorite is probably these appetizers, like the cornbread skillet with just with little bit of sweetness was so good.

And then they also had this really awesome, the Brussels sprouts with the candied bacon where you see this - [Mark] Ooh!

- [Sue] Tumbling.

- [Mark] Candied bacon.

- [Sue] Yeah, just the presentation was so clever how they have it tumbling out of this mason jar on a wood platter and it was just so, really just cooked well.

And it was like kind of just lightly charred on the outside but really tender on the inside.

- Donaldo, what did you have for appetizers?

- So I went with my sister-in-law and her husband and my wife.

And we kinda all just got a bunch of different main dishes and appetizers to share throughout the night.

So we did the guacamole, we did the broiled oysters and that's another dish I won't order.

My brother-in-law ordered that, and-- - Did you try it?

- I did try it.

So they're Oysters Rockefeller, so--- - [Mark] Okay.

- But they're served, it's served in this saute pan filled with rock salt on the bottom and then the oysters just resting on top of it.

And you know, at first I thought it was just little pebbles, but then you're looking at it, it's like-- - [Mark] Just don't eat one.

Yeah.

- Yeah, so... I mean the presentation was really cool.

The flavor, again, I have to stop telling people I don't like oysters because after having those, I thought it was just wonderful.

We got the chowder fries.

So they have, their fries, they call 'em shattered fries, crispy, but they're also kinda pillowy on the inside.

- [Mark] Ooh!

The best part we have the crisp outside.

Creamy inside.

- [Donaldo] Yeah, so the chowder fries appetizer, it's the shattered fries topped with their chowder, but just creamy, savory.

- [Mark] That is so clever.

What else was a highlight for you?

- So I opted for the prime rib, which they do on the weekends.

It's served with the veal jus and the horse radish cream sauce.

And that au jus I could've drank it in.

- [Mark Could you have-- - You know how I like gallons, (Mark laughing) so I could have drank a gallon of it.

It was just so flavorful.

And dipping the meat in there, it just accentuated all the flavors and I was in heaven and I didn't really share that dish too much.

- Well drink a gallon of veal jus.

- [Sue] Yeah, exactly.

- Annice, what did you have to eat?

- Well we started out with some appetizers.

We got the cornbread too, and the artichoke.

The cornbread was fantastic.

It was moist.

It had, you know, a little bit of the grainy cornbread texture, but it was very moist.

It wasn't like that real dry-- - [Mark] Yes.

- [Annice] kinda cornbread that you get and it had a really nice honey butter.

And then the green chilies inside gave it a little bit of zing, but not too much.

It was very tasty.

The artichoke, the remoulade sauce that you dipped it in was fabulous.

But you know, artichokes are a lot of work for very little reward, right, you know.

(Mark laughing) - [Mark] That's why I love em.

- Yeah, they were charred so they had a nice charred taste.

But you know, I could take that one or leave it, you know, it was pretty good.

And then I got the crispy shrimp platter and I wanted to try it.

We liked that they have some familiar things on the menu, but there's a little twist on all of them, right.

And the shrimp were some of the biggest, fattest, juiciest shrimp I've ever had in my life.

See they were like little whales.

They seriously, (Mark chuckling) they were just huge (Mark chuckling) and so juicy and good.

And then their slaw that comes with it is a jicama slaw.

So it's shredded jicama along with the cabbage, and it had cilantro and peanuts in it, too.

So it had a nice little twist on slaw that made it a little more interesting.

And it was very delicious.

- Good.

- I really liked it.

Yeah.

- And did you have any dessert?

- We split a piece of coconut cream pie, which we really liked.

- [Mark] Oh.

- [Annice] Yeah.

- [Mark] Coco pie.

- [Annice] Yeah.

It didn't have... Sometimes when you get coconut cream pie, there's just a little bit of coconut cream and a lot of meringue or whatever on top.

This was a lot of pie and it had a really, really nice toasted coconut taste to it.

- [Mark I love that.

- [Annice] That we loved.

It was very good.

- Sue?

- For dessert, we ended up ordering three and sharing and we did get the coconut pie, which was unbelievable.

We also jumped into the, that giant brownie that had really generous pieces of toffee throughout and a giant scoop of ice cream.

And then of course there was this butter cake that was delectable.

(all exclaiming delight) It was just heaven.

- [Mark] You had three (indistinct).

- [Sue] Yeah.

(all laughing) Heavenly experience with the ice cream.

- So Donaldo, what did you have for dessert?

- So our table shared the butter cake.

- Yes.

- And that coconut cream pie.

And I'm a huge coconut cream pie fan, and I loved that there was the buttery, kind of little bit of salt hint to it on the crust.

But the texture of the custard in the coconut cream pie itself, it's not like your fork just went through it.

You actually had to kinda put a little bit of muscle into it, which is what you want when you're eating a dessert, right?

- [Mark] I think so, especially coconut cream pie.

- [Donaldo] Yeah.

- So Sue, this is your place.

What's your pro tip or takeaway?

- I would say beyond leaving room for dessert is make sure you take advantage of this fabulous patio area they have.

It's heated, it's perfect weather in Arizona and why not enjoy a meal outdoors.

- [Mark] Cool.

Thanks Sue.

- [Sue] Yeah.

- Annice, what's your takeaway?

- I would say plan ahead for the parking, because parking is a little bit difficult there.

There's not much out front.

A lot of the spaces are reserved.

You have to park in the back.

- Parking, very important.

- [Donaldo] Yes.

- Donaldo, what's your pro tip?

- So the server did mention to us that they won some award for like the best crab cake in Arizona.

My wife had the grapefruit and crab salad.

Hands down the best crab cake I've had.

- Ooh, citrus and crab.

I like it.

- It was fantastic.

- If you want to try the Neighborly Public House, it's near 7th Street and Missouri.

An average meal cost $30 and they do take reservations.

(upbeat music) Our last restaurant is Donaldo's choice, a family-owned Italian joint that makes everyone feel like they're part of the family.

This is Pesto's Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar.

(upbeat folk music) - Pesto's Italian Kitchen is... It started out as a pizza takeout restaurant and it evolved into a full-scale restaurant.

So we make almost everything from scratch.

We've been here for 30 years, and we have a very, very, very loyal following.

The core of our menu is very traditional, but our chefs are very creative and we give them the freedom to create every week whatever they want.

We do run specials every week.

We have two or three different specials.

We're known for our lasagna.

It's I think world class.

Our meatballs are unbelievable.

The chicken Parmesan.

We have a dish called ziti with grilled chicken.

It's extremely popular.

We have a chicken saltinbocca which is very, very popular.

I'm very into the atmosphere of Pesto's.

I control the music, the lighting, the temperature, the tone.

But the vibe in here is very warm, but we do have air conditioning.

So my wife, Debbie, is the driving force of my Life.

My oldest son, Reed, is one of the chefs.

My daughter is Roxanne, runs the bar and she's also a sommelier.

And my youngest son, Noah, is also one of our bartenders, and he's well known for his espresso martinis and his old fashions.

The secret to our success is the fact that we try to hold close to traditions and traditional food, and I think that's what people pick up on when they come in here.

They understand that, you know, we're the real deal.

- So Donaldo, how did you find this place?

- I went to my ten-year high school reunion, started talking to my now wife, and I wanted to take her on a date and this was a place that I lived close by to, and I just had kinda scouted out news, somewhere there was romantic but not too stuffy, I guess you could say.

Very warming, welcoming atmosphere.

So we had drinks on our first date there and here we are.

- Three kids later.

- Three kids later.

(all laughing) Three girls.

- Three girls.

- Awesome.

What do you eat when you go there?

What's your favorite?

- Well, I mean, I'm joking but I'm not joking when I say the broccoli Caesar, the grilled broccoli Caesar.

If they were to drop it on the ground in front of me (Mark laughing) as they were bringing it to me, I would probably just have 'em scoop it up and put it on my plate regardless.

Because-- - [Mark] That good?

- It is so good.

I've never had anything else like it.

They'd grill it.

The broccoli has a char on the florets and then you've got the creamy Caesar dressing with bacon chopped up in there, which, (Mark laughing) who doesn't like bacon?

But then they put tomatoes, I believe smashed tomatoes in there.

So you got that little bit of acid that kinda cuts through the fat of the bacon, and the creaminess of that Caesar.

- We're gonna call it the ten-second-rule salad from now on.

- Yeah.

(all laughing) - There you go.

What did you have for an entree?

- So this time we went, I had the chicken saltinbocca, and it comes in a masala sauce.

I mean their sauces are just outta this world.

And if you get... So my wife got the chicken pesto.

They give you a pesto cream sauce, but they even sprinkle a little bit of marinara on top of it, so it's kind of fun 'cause you've got this little splash of zesty marinara sauce.

So you're eating this rich creamy pesto and then you just kinda dip over here in the little red sauce and get that something to kinda change your palate up and throw it a curve ball.

- I love hearing you talk about food, chef.

- I know.

- I love eating food.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- [Annice] There we go.

- Annice, what did you have for an appetizer?

- Well we started out with three appetizers, and the ones that we enjoyed the most were the chicken wings in the saltinbocca, I think, glaze with the hot chili honey.

And they were very scrumptious, very meaty wings with that hot honey, very unique flavor profile for them and we liked those.

Then we also got the marinated olives, which we really loved.

They come hot and they had a really nice mix of olives in there and they were delicious olives.

We really liked that a lot.

- So what did you have for an entree?

- I had the linguini with clam sauce.

- [Mark] Oh.

- [Annice] And I really enjoyed it.

I'm not really a red sauce person, so I tend to lean more towards the lighter dishes, and tons of clams.

Really nice garlicky broth.

Great for dipping your bread in.

- Cool.

Sue, what did you have for appetizers?

- Yeah, we ended up getting the most wonderful cauliflower dish with this candied pancetta really generously throughout.

It was so awesome because it was just really tender and I think it blew everyone away.

But then we moved into the entrees.

I ordered the baked ziti, which was wonderful.

It was really cheesy but not overly greasy or anything.

It was just really perfect.

And we ordered two different pizzas which were also-- - Which pizzas did you order?

- We got the pesto pizza, and a mushroom and pepperoni.

Both were really solid choices, so-- - What did you have for dessert?

My favorite dish is carrot cake.

The carrot cake was just divine.

It was just so soft.

And the frosting on it was really, it was sweet but not overly.

It was definitely worth going back for.

- Annice, what did you have for dessert?

- I ordered the tiramisu, which was a different take on it.

It was considerably sweeter than traditional tiramisu.

Wasn't a big fan of it, but I could see how a lot of people might really like it.

And it comes served like in the shape of a cake wedge.

- [Mark] Oh wow.

- [Annice] So the lady fingers were standing up on the outside.

It didn't have a ton of the coffee or espresso flavor to it.

I prefer a more traditional tiramisu with the lighter, you know, mousse to it.

- Donaldo, what did you have for dessert?

- So we also got the carrot cake.

We took the whole family and it was just, warms my heart to have been there on a date with my future wife and now to go back with my kids, and that's the type of restaurant this is.

It's just, it's very cozy, it's very warm.

But when they brought the carrot cake, it was like dropping a piece of meat into a pool of piranhas, 'cause oh, we had all had our meals and then all my little girls and my wife and I, we just had our spoons and just like after that first bite you got a taste, it was gone.

(Mark laughing) - [Mark] That competitive eating-- - [Donaldo] Yes.

- begins.

What was your takeaway?

- I would say that if you want good Italian food in a romantic atmosphere that's cozy, this is the place to go.

- Romance.

I love it.

Annice?

- We noticed that they have dinner specials but they don't have 'em on Sunday.

So I would say that if you wanna try something that's a little off menu, go during the week, - The sommelier, try to take advantage of his brain power 'cause he was so friendly and helpful.

And if you, you know, they have a really diverse selection.

- If you wanna try Pesto's Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar, it's located in Chandler near Ray Road and Dobson.

Average check is $35, and they do take reservations.

I wanna thank Annice, Sue, and Donaldo for joining me at the table.

And thank you for joining us for "Check Please!

Arizona."

If you'd like to share your favorite restaurant, head to our website, azpbs.org/checkplease, and nominate your must-eat-at spot.

Who knows, you could be joining me at the table.

And be a part of the foodie conversation in Arizona on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #checkpleaseaz.

Join us next time when three new guests make their recommendations right here on "Check Please!

Arizona."

I'm Chef Mark Tarbell, and have a delicious life.

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